Safety-lamp.



H'. CSANYI. SAFE-TY LAMP.

APPLICATION F ILED DEC.9. 1914.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

35 Wm M ans earn re.

HENRY CSANYI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MAXIVOLT PRIMARY BATTERY00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY-LAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

Application filed December 9, 1914. Serial No. 876,287.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY CSANYI, a

useful Improvements in Safety-Lamps, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric lamps andparticularly to such lampsas embody an incandescent lamp bulb having an incandescent lightemitting member therein.

Although the invention is applicable for many purposes, it is describedin the following specification, by way of example, as appliedto a lampintended to be used, for example by a miner, where there Would be dangerfrom explosion of fire-damp if the lamp were broken and the lightemitting member or filament were permitted to remain heated. I

A principal object of the invention is to providesuch a lamp withautomatic means for opening the circuit through the incandescent bulb incase of an accident that might cause the breaking of the lamp in such away as to expose the incandescent filament.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple meansforaccomplishing this effect without in any way detracting from theilluminating eflect of the lamp, and without employing any parts whichcast a shadow from the lamp. I Y

A further object of the invention is to construct the lamp in such a waythat the incandescent bulb can be very readily placed in position. i

In lamps for this general purpose heretofore, springs have been employedfor disconnecting the lamp from its socket to open the circuit throughthe filament, and arranged so that the spring is normally prevented fromacting by means engaging with the bulb. In the lamps to which I referthe ment for holding the neck of the globe in position in a flexiblemanner and without the neck of the bulb being guided in a socket, andthis greatly facilitates the removal or replacement of the incandescentbulb. j 6

Further objects of the invention will appear more clearly hereinafter.

The invention consists in the features and combinations of featureshereinafter described, all of which contribute to produce an efiicientsafety lamp.

-A preferred embodiment of. my invention will be particularly describedinthe following specification, while the broad scope of my inventionwill be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical section through a lamp havingthe pre-' ferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevationof the lamp shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a lampembodying my invention and showing a modified form or embodimentthereof.

Referring more particularly to the parts, I prefer to provide a case 5which may be of sheet metal and of a common dished formso thatthe innersurface 6 of the back of the lamp forms a reflector for the rays comingfrom the incandescent bulb 7. I prefer to provide this case 5 at asuitable point with an integral sleeve 8 which is preferably disposed onthe interior. at one side of the case; and in, this sleeve I prefer toprovide an insulating bushing 9. In the bushing 9 I prefer to provide ayielding contact 10 which is preferably in the form of a pin passingslidably through the bushing, the upper end of the said pin having ahead 11 which is adapted to touchv the neck contact 12 preferably formedin the end of the neck 13v of the bulb 7.

The yielding effect in the contact 10 is preferably produced by means ofa helical spring 14 which is disposed in a bore in the bushing, theupper end of the said spring thrusting against a shoulder 15 formedunder the head of the pin, the lower end of said pin preferably having'acollar 16 which --ei1'gages the lower end of the bushing 9 to 'nected inany suitable manner such as by necessarily guided in the case in any waybut may bea floating collar, that is, it is freely movable laterally,except that it is retained in position by means of a spring, preferablya coil spring 18, the lower end of which seats on the sleeve 8, theupper end of the spring engaging around the reduced body 15) of thecollar and thereby holding the collar in place. I prefer to form thelamp circuit through this spring, for which reason I prefer to ,attachthe lower end of the spring to the side of the sleeve 8 by means of asuitable fastening orscrew 20, and to this end also, one 'of theleading-in wires 21 of the bulb is preferably connected to the neck 13;the other leading-in wire 22 preferably leads down to and connects withthe above mentioned neck contact 12 of the lamp.

Evidently the springs 14 and 18 tend to force the collar 17 inwardlytoward the central part of the case and tend to break the lamp circuitthroughthe contact pin 10. In order tonormally prevent this, I prefer toprovide a rigid that is, unyieldingmember 23 which maybe of any formdesired and placed between the bulb and a wall of the lamp on the sideopposite the spring 18. I do not limit myself to the particular positionindicated for the sleeve 8 on the case.

The member} 23 is preferably of translucent frangible material and ishence conveniently in the form of a glass tube one end of which mayengage over the nib 24: of the bulb which is opposite the neck 13, andthe other end of this member is arrangedin any way such as will enableit to resist the thrust of the spring; that is, it resists the thrust ofthe spring by a reaction exerted "from the wall of the lamp opposite thespring. It is obvious that when the lamp receives a blow the shock ofsuch a blow will be imparted to the bulb through the part 23; in otherwords the shock is concentrated at one point on the bulb. So the bulb orthe part 23 can.

be easily broken and they tend to break at a point opposite the springs.If the bulb is broken by a shock as suggested or if the member 23is-broken by such a shock evidently the bulb will become displaced andthe circuit will become open at the contacts. When using a part 23 ofthe form shown in Fig. 1, I prefer to provide a retainingdewas 25 whichmay be of any desired form and may, if desired, include anadjustingscrew 26 with the inner end of which the tubular member23 engages. Thisadjust mg screw 26 is preferably threaded in the wall of the case andmay be provided with a check nut 27 for holding itfixed in any adjustedposition desired. 1 It is evident that although this part 23 is in thepath of the reflected rays coming from the filament 28 it does not castany shadow on account of its translucent quality.

Conductors or wires indicated diagrammatica-lly by'the lines 29 and 30afford means for effecting a circuit through the filament, one of saidconductors being connected with the insulated contact pin 10, while theother is connected to the wall of the case 5 so as to be brought intoelectric contact with the spring 18 which is a conductor of the currentand which is grounded on the case at the fastening 20. The lens 31constitutes the forward wall of the lamp and is held in place in anysuitable manner, for instanceby a light piece of bent wire 32.

The operation of positioning the bulb 7 within the case is very simpleand consists substantially in screwing the collar 17 onto the neck 13and then seating the collar on the upper end of the spring 18.. Thespring 18 is compressible by a force exerted on the wardly and willexert a longitudinal thrust in the member 23to hold the member 23between the bulb and the wall of the lamp.

The screw 26 preferably has a reduced tip (see Fig. 1) to enter the endof the tubular member 23 and this tip centers the bulb 0n.-

the screw in setting the bulb in position. The member 23 prevents asufficient move ment of the collar by the springs to break the circuitat the contact 12. In other words,

the pin 10 follows up the neck contact 12 in the outward movement andmaintains the circuit closed after the member 23 has been positioned.

()bvious'lymany changes may be made in the application of myinvention.In practice, the member 23 need not have the form illustrated, nor needit be secured in the manner shown. One of the many modified forms theinvention may take is illustrated in Fig. 3, in which the .bulb 33 isprovided with an integral stem 34 for opposing the spring 35. This stem341 is preferably a part of the tube from which the bulb 33 is blown,and the stem is afterward sealed ofi from the interior of the tube'bypressing in the wall of the tube to form av solid neck 36. In otherrespects the lamp illustrated in Fig. 3 is the same as illustrated inFig.1.

vention, if the lens 31 becomes broken, as by accident, and the members23 or 34, or the ,incandescent'bulb displaced or broken,

Obviously .with a lamp embodying my, in-

the spring such as the spring 18 will immediately force the bulb awayfrom the contact point at which the circuit is made through the lamp,and this will immediately extinguish the filament 28 and there will beno danger of causing an explosion if the lamp is in an atmospherecharged with an explosive gas.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments the invention may take, and I do notwish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in my claims,to the particular embodiment set forth;

What I claim is v 1. In an electric lamp, in combination, a caseincluding a lens, an incandescent lamp .bulb'within said case, a contactmounted in said case to'close the circuit through saidbulb, a springtending to move said bulb to open the .circuit'at said contact, and atranslucent member in the path of the rays from said bulb between a wallof the lamp and said bulb, and normally preventing saidspring fromopening the circuit at said con tact.

2. In an electric lamp, in combination, a case including a lens, anincandescent lamp bulb within said case, a contact mounted in said caseto close the circuit through said bulb, a spring tending to movesaidbulb to open the circuit at said contact, conducting the current ofthe lamp circuit, and a rigid member between a wall of the lamp and saidbulb and normally preventing said spring from opening the circuit atsaid contact.

3. In an electric lamp, in combination, a case including a lens, anincandescent lamp bulb within said case, a contact mounted in said caseto close the circuit through said bulb, a spring tending to move saidbulb to open the circuit at said contact, conducting the current of thelamp circuit, and a translucent member'in the path of the rays from saidbulb between a wall of thelamp and said bulb and normally preventingsaid spring from opening the circuit at said contact.

4. In an electric lamp, in combination, a case including a lens, a lampbulb in said case having a neck with a contact in the lamp circuit, afreely movable collar on said neck, a spring conducting the current ofthe lamp circuit, retaining said collar and tending to move the same toopen the lamp circuit at said contact, and a rigid relatively weak andfragile part between said bulb and a wall of said case resisting saidspring and maintaining the circuit through the lamp.

5. In an electric lamp, in combination, a case, an incandescent lampbulb, a neck with a contact inthe lamp circuit, a collar on said neck, arigid unyielding part retained between a wall of said lamp and said bulbing part retained, between a wall of said lamp and said bulb, a springretaining said collar and compressible by said collar to permit thepositioning of said rigid part, and

a yielding contact in the lamp circuit having a spring compressible bysaid neck contact when said rigid part is being positioned, andmaintaining the circuit closed after said rigzid part is positioned.

.In an electric lamp, in combination, a case, an incandescent lamp bulbhaving a neck with a contact in the lamp circuit, a collar on said neck,a rigid unyielding frangible part retained between a wall of said lampand said bulb opposite said neck, a spring conducting the current of thelamp circuit retaining said collar and compressible by said collar topermit the'positioning of said rigid part, and a yieldingcontact in thelamp circuit having a spring compressible by said neck contact when saidrigid part is being positioned and maintaining the circuit closed aftersaid rigid part is positioned.

8. In an electric lamp, in combination, a case, an incandescent lampbulb within said case having a neck, a' freely movable colla receivingsaid neck, an insulated contact carried by said case, said neck havingan insulated contact adapted to engage with said first named insulatedcontact, a spring mounted in said case and tending to move said collarto break the lamp circuit at said contacts, and a frangible bar betweensaid bulb and a wall of said lamp opposite said spring receiving thethrust of said spring longitudinally and preventing said spring fromopening the circuit.

having an insulated contact adapted to engage with said first namedinsulated contact, a coil spring mounted in said case and engaging atone end around the body of said collar to retain the same, and tendingto move said collar to break the lamp circuit at said contacts, and afrangible bar between said bulb and a wall of said lamp opposite saidspring receiving the thrust of said spring longitudinally, andpreventing said spring from opening the circuit.

10. In an electric lamp, in combination, a

case, an incandescent lamp bulb thereirr having a contact, an unyieldingpartextending from the said bulb to a wall of said case, a contact onthe case engaging said firstnamed contact and a springfpressing saidbulb so as to hold said unyielding part,

against the said wall of the case.

11. In an electric lamp, in combination, a case including a lens, anincandescent lamp bulb therein having a contact, a relatively weak andeasily broken part constructed to break from a blow or jar which isinsufficient to break said lens, disposed opposite said contact andextending from sa1d bulb to a wall of said case, a contact in said caseengaging said first contact to close the circuit through said bulb, andresilient means tending to move said bulb in a direction to press saidpartaga'inst said wall.

12. In an electric-lamp, in combination, a case including a lens, anincandescent lamp therein having a contact and an easily broken partconstructed to break from a blow or jar insufficient to break said lens,said part disposed opposite said contact, a contact in said caseengaging said first contact to close the circuit through said bulb, andresilient means resisted by said easily broken part for separating thesaid contacts and thereby open the circuit when said easily broken partbreaks. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY CSANYI.

I Witnesses:

S. ANDREWS, L. ELFMAN.

